Industry Definitions:
    Slot: A rectangle shaped hole that is punched in a track or vertical post; measuring two and three eights of one inch tall and one half of an inch wide and, when mounted, has a depth of three eighths of one inch.    Logistic: Simply means there is some form of tie down location inside the cargo area of a semi-trailer and other cargo transporting vehicles; usually in the form of vertical posts with slots or horizontal track with slots that cargo securing devices can lock into. Logistic refers to movement and, in this case, with logistic posts or logistic track one can move cargo securing devices to different areas within the cargo area.    Flush Mount: An object that lies flat against a surface.    Horizontal Logistic Track (FIG. 14): A steel track that has holes punched side by side in a perfect row on two inch increments so that cargo securing devices can lock into the holes in order to secure cargo from moving during transit. The holes vary in shape but are mostly a rectangle shape (referred to as a slot) measuring two and three eights of one inch tall and one half of an inch wide. When the track is mounted the holes (slots) only have a depth of three eighths of one inch. The track is permanently mounted at various heights with bucking rivets, huckbolts—monobolts or bolts and nuts and is commonly installed the entire length on each of the vehicle's sidewalls. This track cannot be repositioned once it is installed. It is installed in equal quantities at the factory and in the aftermarket; consisting of similar market share. This is not an integral part of the vehicle's body.    Vertical Logistic Post (FIG. 13): A permanently mounted steel or aluminum upright post (vertical position—floor to ceiling) that has holes punched above one another in a perfect row in two inch to three inch increments so that cargo securing devices can lock into the holes in order to secure cargo from moving during transit. The holes vary in shape but are mostly a rectangle shape (referred to as a slot) measuring two and three eights of one inch tall and one half of an inch wide. On posts, the holes (slots) have a depth that ranges from three eighths of one inch to one and one quarter of one inch. Virtually every semi-trailer has vertical posts and the posts are commonly positioned on forty eight inch or fifty inch centers throughout the sidewalls. The post is an integral part of the sidewall construction and is only installed at the factory. More posts cannot be added in the aftermarket due to cost. If a post does not have holes (slots), it is referred to as a plain post. Holes cannot be added to plain posts due to cost.    Cargo Tie down/Cargo securing device: A device that secures cargo from moving while being transported. On semi-trailers or other enclosed cargo hauling vehicles, bars and straps are commonly used to accomplish this and they usually connect from one sidewall to the other and the device has ends that lock into a slot on a permanently mounted vertical logistic post or horizontal logistic track that is located on each sidewall—ensuring the device remains in place should the cargo shift during transport. The device is place as close to the cargo as possible.
Cargo tie down horizontal and/or vertical logistic tracks and/or vertical logistic posts are commonly installed, permanently, on the interior sidewalls of semi-trailers or other cargo transporting vehicle bodies in order to secure the ends of various cargo tie down devices used to secure cargo from moving. Logistic track is most commonly installed horizontally (FIG. 14); however, the can be placed vertically as well. Throughout this writing the standard horizontal position is referenced. These cannot be repositioned by the operator to obtain closer spacing between logistic slots in order to better secure the cargo should the cargo be positioned in an area that is not near a logistic slot. In certain cases, both horizontal logistic tracks and vertical logistic posts are installed on the interior sidewall to maximize available logistic slot access at any location. The horizontal logistic tracks or vertical logistic posts are located directly across from one another on the opposing sidewall so that cargo restraint devices can be locked into each side in order to secure cargo from moving while it is being transported from its origin to its destination.
Cargo tie down horizontal logistic tracks are commonly known by those in the industry as horizontal E series track (E-track) or horizontal A series track (A-track), but are not limited to these in shape or name; however, these two horizontal logistic tracks are considered the industry standard horizontally mounted logistic tracks used in securing cargo restraint devices such as cargo bars or strap based devices. These tracks perform well in securing cargo at any location from the nose to the rear of the cargo area but do not perform well with cargo that has different heights or needs secured at one location but at various heights. The horizontal logistic tracks are traditionally installed on sidewalls that only have vertical non logistic posts, posts without a logistic slot or called plain posts; however, there continues to be a demand to also install horizontal logistic tracks on sidewalls with vertical logistic posts due to the greater spacing between the posts. The horizontal logistic tracks are permanently mounted with fasteners such as aluminum buck rivets, bolts and nuts or screws, usually on six to eight inch centers depending upon the type of sidewall construction that the horizontal logistic track is being fastened to. The horizontal logistic track is not considered an integral part of the sidewall construction. The horizontal logistic tracks are most commonly mounted horizontally, as denoted in the name, and on each sidewall, full length on the sidewall, from most rear to most front, and are located directly across from one another on each sidewall, running parallel to the floor. The horizontal logistic tracks are mounted at varying heights and measured from floor to centerline of the track when mounting at a specific dimension. There is no standard dimension for a specific height and varies per owner and type of freight being transported. The horizontal logistic tracks are produced in varying lengths such as a one piece full length that measures as long as fifty two feet six inches or in ten feet lengths that are butted together to make a full length piece. Each installer determines which lengths work best for them when installing at the factory or in the aftermarket. Horizontal logistic tracks are most commonly overlaid flush mount on the sidewall but can be recessed depending upon the type of sidewall construction. Both, E series and A series horizontal logistic tracks have slots, that measure one half inch wide by two and three eighths of one inch in height and are punched on two inch centers the full length of each horizontal logistic track to which most all cargo bars and strap restraint devices' locking ends are designed to attach to. The E series horizontal logistic track's slot has rolled sides where as the A series logistic track does not—though each has a universal acceptance of most industry accepted cargo securing device ends. The horizontal logistic tracks can either be installed at the time the semi-trailer or cargo transporting vehicle body is being manufactured or in the aftermarket. Material most commonly used to form the horizontal logistic track is carbon steel but can be made with almost any material known to those in the trade.
When installing horizontal logistic track to secure loads it is difficult to identify the exact height of the cargo that is being transported since semi-trailers and other cargo transporting vehicle bodies go through various transporting applications as the equipment ages and as an owner looks for a one size fits all approach to transporting cargo and, of course, the vehicle usually gets sold, traded or leased to a new owner at some point in its life cycle and, in this case, the new owner will more than likely have different needs for cargo that they transport. In many cases, multiple pairs of horizontal logistic track (FIG. 14) have to be permanently installed at various heights to try and accommodate the many variables of cargo heights that may be incurred. This ultimately results in a burden to the owner in both increased costs for installation and increased weights and still does not guarantee that the correct height will be obtained to properly secure certain cargo. The increased weight is a two fold disadvantage to any owner; limiting the amount of product transported and carrying a penalty in increased fuel usage. An equally important burden is installation of horizontal logistic track on the leading sidewall types, Duraplate and composite material. In this case, hundreds of additional holes have to be drilled through the sidewall for permanent mounting which poses potential problems for leaking sidewalls when rain or snow occurs.
Vertical logistic posts are permanently mounted (FIG. 13), floor to ceiling, and are considered an integral part of the sidewall construction that attaches two forty eight inch to forty nine inch wide industry standard panels together and are installed at the time the semi-trailer or cargo transporting vehicle body is manufactured. These vertical logistic posts are commonly installed on forty eight inch or fifty inch centers to match the width of the panels it is attaching together and are commonly attached to the panels with aluminum buck rivets. These posts perform well in securing freight at any height from the floor to the ceiling of the cargo area but do not perform well with cargo that falls short or aft of the post. The vertical logistic post's slots are punched into the post in a vertical pattern, above one another, the entire height of the post, floor to ceiling, compared to the horizontal logistic tracks that have their respective slots punched side by side. The slots measure the same size as E series and A series horizontal logistic track, one half inch wide by two and three eights of one inch in height. Vertical logistic posts are not added to a semi-trailer or cargo transporting vehicle body after the unit is manufactured in an attempt to close the distance of the spacing of its logistic slot. This is due to extensive labor costs associated with the posts installation—only in repair situations would a vertical logistic post be added to replace a damaged post. Material most commonly used to form the logistic post is carbon steel but has also been known to be made of aluminum or other types of metal and composite material. Vertical logistic posts are most commonly formed as a one piece post; however, in certain sidewalls a steel flat plate with punched slots is used as the face of the post—such designs are for the Duraplate or comparable sidewall construction which are commonly on fifty inch centers. Other less common vertical logistic post spacing that is used in the construction of sidewalls is sixteen inch and twenty four inch but these add cost and weight and are not considered a current standard or specification. Note that certain one piece sidewall constructions may use a vertical logistic post that is not considered an integral part of the sidewall—such examples included the Fiberglass Reinforced Panel (FRP), a sidewall construction that has almost become obsolete when making semi-trailers due to its weight and material cost.
Vertical logistic posts (FIG. 13) commonly installed on forty eight inch or fifty inch centers allows for cargo to be secured tightly only if the cargo stops just short of a post on a forty eight inch center (FIG. 11), greatly limiting the ability to secure cargo properly when the cargo is not placed perfectly in line with a slot. Strap style cargo restraint devices may add more flexibility in securing cargo at unfavorable locations in the cargo area; however, if the freight is located less than two inches or so from the sidewall (FIG. 11) a strap cannot be easily secured in a slot that is forward of the freight due to a certain distance between the sidewall and freight being required in order for the hands and arms of an operator to reach between the freight and sidewall to secure the strap's end fitting into a slot and the distance to the next accessible slot may be too far to reach. In this case, the invention allows for a strap style cargo restraint to be installed on the invention prior to it being positioned between the freight and sidewall requiring only one inch or less clearance between the freight and sidewall. Also freight cargo beams are deemed a very common form of freight securing devises and in these cases the cargo would be able to travel as great as approximately forty eight inches before it is stopped by the next cargo beam location if the cargo is placed just aft of a logistics post. Any movement at all in the cargo has many dangers—the product can shift causing body damage to the vehicle, the product can shift causing damage to the cargo itself and in worse case scenarios shifting of cargo can cause a catastrophic failure to the vehicle and or a roll-over incident can occur. Most manufacturers offer closer vertical logistic posts centers as an upgrade to include twelve inch, sixteen inch and twenty four inch vertical logistic post centers but these still do not guarantee that cargo will be placed at the exact location needed to properly secure cargo tightly. In addition, these closer twelve inch, sixteen inch and twenty four inch centered posts add a burden to the owner in both increased installation costs and increased weights. The increased weight is, again, a two fold disadvantage to any owner; limiting the amount of product transported and carrying a penalty in increased fuel usage.